Beauty blogging: how to work better with bloggers

Usually, I do not like to blog about topics outside my niche here. Neither do I like to discuss about behind-the-blog issues that I face. While some of you may have read bits of my rants in my tweets but I usually just deal with the issues as they surfaced and later dismissed them as incidents. However, increasingly, I’ve been facing more demands and collectively, these demands are a concern. So today, I’ll make an exception and discuss some issues that have been bugging me and brought me some levels of discomfort as a beauty blogger. I think it’s also important for me to address them before such issues get escalated beyond my control.

Without naming the parties involved, these were some of the requests I’ve received via email or in person recently:
– remove pictures from my blog when prior permission were given.
– answer to reviews I wrote because they were not so “glowing”
– questioned if I only write reviews based only on sponsored products.
– asked to submit a draft of my coverage prior to publishing.
– questioned by an exclusive distributor why I featured their products without their permission without knowing that I’ve been working with their US office.

Now, much have been discussed about bloggers’ code of ethics, both in the online and offline media, but little has been discussed with regards to the companies and their representatives who approach us. Without trying to come across as a know-it-all, I thought I’ll share some of my perspectives with respect to working with brands as a blogger, who coincidentaly also has experience from the other side of the fence in marketing and PR.

1. Bloggers can be managed but not controlled
Social media such as blogging is a new phenomenon and some companies are threatened because they have no control over who will write bad reviews about them. So instead of just relying on us as consumers to blog about them, they are proactively seeking bloggers out and offering “perks” such as a complimentary product or service in exchange for publicity. This allows them to be in control and clearly, the companies hope that we’ll write about them or their products and services positively. However, this may not happen because the likeability factor is subjective.

2. Blog entries are not advertorials unless stated so
Some companies seem to equate giving out freebies as payment for free positive publicity. Please note that the writing is totally at the discretion of the blogger based on his or her experience even if the products are given to them. You can influence by way of sending press releases, FAQs, etc but you have to manage your own expectations. The reason why companies use the route of publicity and not advertorials is because they know the credibility attached to a review is higher. Hence, it is all the more important that blog reviews cannot be treated as advertorials and that bloggers have their space to write 100% honest assessments as objectively, without interference.

3. Be confident of your offerings
Companies should really only introduce good products to consumers. And if companies want to engage with the bloggers, then be confident of your offerings. If your offering is good, then I don’t see why you should worry and try to control this process obsessively. It may not be a 100% positive review but likely, it’s going to be 80% and that’s pretty good by my standard.

4. Do your research before approaching the blogger
It’s disturbing that some companies and their representatives do not do sufficient research before extending invites. I appreciate companies who tell me that they seive out blogs who share their common values because it shows they do their groundwork and they really handpick bloggers who share similar focus and style. That’s what I call a brillilant win-win strategy because the outcome is likely going to be favorable to all. But having said that, it also means that if companies only want positive reviews, then they should only approach bloggers who set up their blogs just to enjoy such perks and will always write positive and glowing reviews because the products are sponsored. However, I’m going to be blunt and tell you that perhaps those blogs may not be receiving the right readership for your products.

5. Manage the collaboration to gain cooperation
While there are bloggers out there who set up blogs for the sake of enjoying such perks, many blog because of their passion or interest. For the latter group, blogging is a self expression and they will always write what they think/feel. You can influence them, but you cannot control them. So please don’t ask them to submit drafts to you prior to publishing a review. I’ve learnt never to ask journalists and reporters for their drafts because it’ll leave a bad taste and you risk sabotage in the worst instance. The same applies to the bloggers. If you really need the draft, then state it UPFRONT, and not later after the blogger has tried your product or service. The blogger can then decide if she/he wants to proceed with the collaboration in the first place.

6. Share information with the bloggers
Some companies like to be secretive and will refuse to tell me what they’re launching when they invite me to their events. And when I ask them, they seem to take offence and perhaps think that I’m being a prima donna. The reason I ask is because I want to know if the product or service is in my area of interest. Optimizing time and resources is to the interest of everyone concerned, isn’t it?

7. Have basic respect for the blogger
I’ve come across many a ridiculous requests such as taking down certain pictures, or taking down certain posts when permission was clearly given to take those pictures. Perhaps someone complained to them after seeing the pictures. So if you’re planning a publicity campaign via the social media, shouldn’t you have forseen those inconveniences? I work hard for my blog – and a lot of efforts are put in every picture I upload and every word I type. So don’t tell us to take down just because our publishing mechanism makes it easy for us to click the delete button. Valid reasons should be given to a blogger because taking down pictures and blog posts without sufficient ground is tantamount to putting the blogger’s efforts all in the bin.

8. Do not paint all bloggers with the same broad brush
Everyone is saying that bloggers are not professional writers. True. But we also have bloggers who are writers by profession. So don’t paint all bloggers with the same broad brush and worst, think that beauty bloggers are superficial and bimbotic. Maybe I should say we shouldn’t treat the topic of beauty so lightly and think everyone will be sold based on superficial factors. Maybe more work needs to be put in to pitch the product differently to different bloggers?

9. Understand what really is social media or Internet
This one irks me totally. Companies that want to engage with bloggers but have no idea what is social media or how the Internet works. If you really have no inkling and still want to get your feet wet in social media, at least get professional advice. Do not write to a blogger in the name of exclusive distributorship and suggest that they need to get your permission to feature products when the blogger might have already been working with your US office or even purchase the product herself! Internet is global and that means we can get products from the other side of the world.

10. Last words as a blogger
I know I’m just a small fry in the big cyberworld but still, I’ll like to take on a purposeful role. As a blogger, I need plenty of creative space and my primary concern is that I blog honestly and earnestly. My responsibility is to my readers who support me by coming back to read my blog and I cannot compromise my quality and standards because of that. Although I know the readers are very savvy, but still, for every review that I write, I’m always fearful that it may cause my readers to spend wasted money. I’m also aware of the saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword” and so I’m always mindful that I should write objectively.

I may have slipped up some times but if mistakes are made, I will always apologize. And despite some of the unpleasant incidents that have surfaced, I am still thankful to have met many wonderful people who represent their brands most ardently. I’m still open to collaborations because I believe there is much to learn from speaking to the companies and their representatives. But rest assure that I will always declare my working relationships with the brands or companies so that my readers can decide for themselves if my reviews are bias. I think that’s the most important.

Reader Interactions

Comments

yeah totally! gee, that request from the exclusive distributor was quite hilarious! i can understand such concerns when things are done on a commercial basis, but for objective reviews? it’s akin to enforcing a censored world. >_<

anyway, thanks for keeping the reviews objective! I really like your blog, and on a general basis I would prefer this to beauty forums because there's consistent research and analysis in your writing, whereas on forums you tend not to know who's the more informed user unless you've been lurking for a while. i'm also super grateful that you always take the time to respond to comments and queries even though there're so many for you to handle! (=

Funny right? I was angry but also amused that there are pple who don’t know how the Internet works and still want to put in their 2 cents.

Thanks chenyze for your comments. You don’t know how pleased I am to receive all your comments. Some of you share how products I reviewed have worked and that always pleases me cos at least I know the reader did not waste her money. And many of you share interesting pointers and tips too – I learnt from all your comments as well! 🙂

I normally reserve your “long” articles for days that permits me to slack, but this one is simply engaging.

The tone of some PRs can be condescending sometimes, thinking that we aren’t logic creatures. Placing thorns in their words leave a bitter taste and makes future collaborations impossible.

When a company wishes to send out products for review, they should have an open mind and expect mixed reviews. Some bloggers might feel the obligation to be ‘nice’ in their reviews so as not to offend the company. But there are others who prefer to state honest opinions – products been put to the test with evident results. Yet they are the same ones with targets on their backs just because their reviews aren’t favorable from their marketing/sales perspective.

Some PR firms like to ‘hype’ up their event by painting the exclusivity card, and when response didn’t turn out quite as expected, they broadcast the invitation publicly. Making last-minute adjustments to accommodate bloggers is fine, but at least piece your words professionally.

These people behind the brands that are not matured enough to understand how it works in this era with the social media and blogging, then I believe that they’re not destined to be extremely successful either.

I totally agree with you that if they offer top quality products, why worry about the 20% negative feedbacks. There will always be a few people that are not suited to certain ingredients. For e.g. there are even people who are allergic to aloe vera! What can you say to that?

You go girl! We stay around here because you’ve been good at what you’re doing and you KNOW you’re doing the RIGHT thing!

Le sighs… censorship, censorship… that’s so Singapore. If people don’t like things the way they are, they choose to clamp down by making demands or imposing rules on others. All these, without any sort of discussion or any sort of empathy. Where’s the human in us? But I’ll save it for socio-political discussions instead. Don’t want to bore you lol!

Rather, I don’t understand why they can’t take the criticism objectively and reflect it back to the manufacturer? Yeah, it kind of sucks to receive critical reviews but professionalism aside, it’s a missed chance for them to improve their products.

Understandably, most companies are worried about their bottom line and that’s why they want to control the process. But the problem is, social media is not something anyone can own or control completely.

It’s actually good that some of them take the proactive approach; the management just needs to be right and that’s a learning process.

Wow Sesame. What a brilliantly written post. Although I’m quite new to the scene I have already experienced some of this. If I ever need to explain myself, I can just refer people to this post. Well done!

On point no.8, I have to agree fully and I also want to add that PR or just people in general tend to ‘classify’ bloggers into the same group regardless of what kind of blogs they have and quality of contents in the blogs.

funny how many companies think readers/consumers are a bunch of non-thinking robots. even on certain reputable beauty blogs, i am suspicious when i see clearly sponsored products/events and i’m sure so are many others out there. that products are featured should not be taken as a sign that readers would be interested/buy them.

for the benefit of public relations people/company reps who haven’t been around–yes, we are in the 21st century and guess what, they do try to teach us to think in school.

Probably cos some of them are old-schooled. I get that feel too because I feel some of them try to herd bloggers like we’re some unthinking sheep. By engaging through the bloggers, companies probably think it’s easier to control the review process rather than having bloggers purchase and then possibly bad mouth the products. And unfortunately, there are just some bloggers who will be “bought”.

Anyway, forums have existed way before blogs and you can’t stop the pple discussing in the forums either. But I gather that some of them are also trying to reach out to forumers.

like i always say when having a good laugh discussing the adoption of new media with my friends–u can always tell who are the ‘wannabe’ corporate bigwigs/politicans/etc. who go on social media, but are so contrived in how they convey their messages that it comes across as ‘old media on new media platform’.

companies should wake up their idea that social media is not just about putting the same messages as traditional media on the internet…

I also agree that lots of these companies from the beauty industry, although they know they need bloggers for their publicity drives, (i’m referring to some… not ALL) they don’t necessarily have the same respect for beauty bloggers. It is obvious just by the way they usually offer these business collaborations. They know that a lot of bloggers will agree to writing reviews in exchange for samples–and these companies attach a ‘mutual expectation’ that the good favor will be returned through a positive review. They disregard the possibility that not all bloggers write purely for business. Some are in it for passion. In the case of magazines, aside from samples, there is usually an upfront fee involved and there is a formal business transaction. Each party knows what is expected from the other.

I suppose this is something that is unavoidable if some bloggers are willing to sellout. But if that’s the general approach, then in time to come, most are not going to trust these reviews either. So it’s not a long term strategy for companies either.

I overheard that magazines will deliver x numbers of mentions for a fixed advertising fee. I wonder if this is across the board? But with magazines, they don’t write reviews so brands can hardly get “burnt” in that sense. But of course, going by this, their cost of marketing is higher.

I am not sure… I think they usually come as packages. Mentions + Feature Article + Ad Page or any combination.

Yup, true… it can’t be avoided as obviously, it’s fun to receive free stuff. :p I mean, I’ll be a hypocrite if I say I’m not at all attracted to freebies (especially if they are products I need).

But as a reader, I’m thankful that ethical blogs like yours exist. I feel safe browsing through your blog because you kind of tell us exactly how far the collaboration is with some of the companies you review products for. 🙂

Yeah, me too. Obviously I can’t afford to buy everything and if a company offers me something that interest me, I’ll consider. But now, I give them my review policy before proceeding. Then it’s all clear cut without misgivings.

I’m glad my disclosure is clear as I originally didn’t think it was that important as long as my reviews are honest. However, upon careful reflection, I realized that it’s good to disclose so that readers have a clear understanding when they form their own decisions about my review.

As a manufacturer I totally appreciate a blogger’s honest opinion even though it may not match the opinion of other consumers or manufacturer’s. I believe that, and I listen to it to improve my products. What is good of a blogger if she is obligated to write somethng positive and not necessarily true. And a lot of bloggers (particularly new ones) do that. On the other hand, I’ve encountered a few “lazy” bloggers who don’t write a review based on their own experience, as it should be, but just plainly and boldly copy and paste the information from the manufacturer’s site, and that’s it. That is totally unacceptable and has no value. Sending a free product to such a blogger is not worth it. The review has to be objective. I believe that every product should be good and I don’t think that any product is designed to be bad, to start with. But every blogger has an opinion to describe how the product worked for her, felt, smelled and so on. That is what is all about, I think.
I don’t think that blogging process can be controled, but it should be fair to both parties. Some other overwhelmed bloggers, I’ve come acrossed with, just never been bothered to even post a review at all. They just get a free product for whatever reason and hope that manufacturer doesn’t keep a tab. There are a lot of them too.
So to sum it up, as a manufacturer I have a check point when I work with a blogger. The post has to be written, not copied from our site, it has to be elaborate and honest about all the positive points and things that can be improved, it has to be posted within a month of receiving the product, as later on it tends to create a memory lapse. And the blogger has to communicate if she has any questions in regards of product use. So the bottom line is that communication is the key.

“Equal rights for beauty bloggers” is not a stupid name…this issue is something to consider seriously but the problem is who to administer? I’ve started a dialogue with some of the other beauty bloggers and let’s see what some of them say and if we can take this further.

For the re-posting, because of the effort and time put into writing this, I would appreciate if you can just extract 10% of the entry and post a link for others to read it at its original source. 🙂

obviuosly I meant to link it into my sidebar, linking to your blog, not quoting the whole text, I know how many effort it needs writing something like that! I will follow your blog from now on… I would like to being part of this bloggers manifesto so please take me into consideration for this, I will talk with some frined of mine to let them read this post.

This is a great, great post!
May I post the link to this post on my blog?
Obviously, because I am so sensitive when it comes to plagiarism, I will not copy any word from the text, instead I will invite my readers to stop here on your blog and take a minute to read this post.

I am also very sensitive on the subject expressed in point 4, and I am sure some of my readers, who I talk with outside the blogsphere, will appreciate you mentioning this!

I totally agree with every single word You’ve written. I couldn’t have expressed myself any better actually!
It’s true that we are not professional writers, but this doesn’t mean that out words can be manipulated or in any case.
I’ll spread the word about this post for sure, because I think it’s a true manifesto of what a real blogger is and does. =)

You’re absolutely right…don’t manipulate bloggers and don’t take advantage of them. Likewise, all bloggers should carefully reflect on how they deal with such increasingly invitations and product offerings so that they do not compromise their integrity and quality.

I hear your frustration. After 18 years online, I have learned that like any other relationship, trust and respect has to be earned. Personal relationships with companies and pr firms get established over time as you do your “job” and they do theirs.

As a “blogger” you don’t have to work with anyone who rubs you the wrong way unless you are getting paid to do it and your boss makes you do it. You don’t have to accept products that have restrictions. You can say anything you want to say. But keep in mind that for every action, there is a re action. Some bloggers have given the online pros a bad name, because they whine and complain, and do whatever they please. A professional publication has rules and “vets” writers. Their reporter’s can’t trash a product or spout off about something they’re not expert about. They can’t use photos that didn’t come from their art departments in a controlled way. And, if something–fact or photo–doesn’t seem quite right, their publication will print a retraction or make adjustments.

Bloggers, for the most part, feel they can do whatever they wish. No wonder companies and PR firms are worried about this.

I feel there is a LOT of confusion from PR companies about who to trust, who to work with, etc. They should get your respect if they earn it–as we do–on an individual basis. A few bad experiences (and I’ve had a few, in 18+ years) doesn’t mean that the entire PR community doesn’t “get” social media and marketing.

What bothers me most is that not everyone who uses an online or blogging platform is a blogger, but we are lumped together (and sometimes, villified) because we work online instead of in print. But many people, myself included, are professional writers, highly experienced reviewers, and multi-published authors. If we insist upon the same standards of respect and reward that print writers have, we have to also have some guidelines and rules of behavior. More importantly, each and every online writer is an ambassador for all of the writers who choose an online format.

Thank you Alison, for your valuable inputs. I’m glad to hear from someone who is very experienced as a writer, publisher and a blogger.

I can see where you’re coming from regarding the way some bloggers write and bash the products. Personally, I don’t like that because I think we owe it to ourselves to come across as objective.

However, having said that, then these are the bloggers companies should avoid. If the blogger has a brutal style of reviewing products and that doesn’t suit the company, then don’t approach this blogger. But not all bloggers are similar. Hence, they have to read the blog to understand the style. What disturbs me is that they don’t bother to read the blog at all.

Another thing is, blogs are unlike magazines and the style of writing and photos are different. I haven’t seen magazines here that provide a detailed review on products before. And if a company cannot allow me to take their pictures and only use their PR approved pictures, then sorry, I’m not going to blog. I am not about to use press pictures because that’s not how blogs work because it just isn’t personal. What’s the point of looking like a magazine? If they don’t want certain pictures taken, then they should circumvent that in the first place. And now that you’re raised this, I realized that the companies that had issues with pictures I took with their permission and in their presence, did not bother to supply me their own anyway.

Actually, if companies and their PR firms are worried, then they shouldn’t engage with bloggers at all. They should just leave us alone instead of seeking us out. This is the social media and like what you pointed out, we establish our own rules but within an accepted norm. I certainly don’t want my blog entry to look like another blogger’s.

Anyway, apart from the newspapers, I haven’t seen magazines here printing retractions.

You raise some good points. Bloggers are not the same as print journalists, but since bloggers have no restrictions on what they post, the “iffy” ones give all online writers a bad reputation. I agree that bloggers should feel free to post their own photos (I certainly do), and the only reason to ask a blogger (or any writer) to pull a photo is if there is something objectionable in the content (not the quality).

As an online professional, I do not always get treated with the same respect (or the same perks) as the print editors do. They get trips and expensive incentives. I am lucky to get products to review without having to pay for them (and I do disclose that I get samples). The one thing I personally object to is being asked to write about a product and review it “as if” I’d seen it, used it, experienced it. I hate when bloggers post photos like it’s a big scoop. It’s advertorial junk–free advertising for the companies and PR firms. What do the bloggers get out of it? I refuse, absolutely, to work without samples. But, like everything else, the notion that I will use a sample properly and not just stuff shopping bags with “goodies,” came with hard work, and with being a reliable, objective, reporter. If online writers continue to respect each other, and provide high quality reviews (not just clutter and opinionated junk), we will all benefit with time. The popularity of smart phones, iPads, and the like, are making what we do online much more visible, and valuable.

I understand your concerns. I’m with you on the point of free advertorials – I do not like to be a mouthpiece and publish press releases from companies. I might post it on my Facebook but I will hardly write about it on my blog unless I have some interesting POV or maybe it’s really unique.

Now I know this will sound naive, but…I’d rather read reviews about products the blogger has actually bought.

Obviously none of us are millionaires (well okay most of us are not). So we can’t go and buy out Sephora every week. But why not have a blog with multiple contributors where all the products are bought at a store or online?

Or is there such a blog already? If so, could you provide a link? I love learning about new products from real people. Not PR professionals.

I don’t know any blogs that only review products they’ve purchased. I know it’s a mix. I write reviews on products I buy as well as products sent to me. Maybe you want to take a look at my reviews to have an idea?

I read this and I thought I gotta comment and give you a pat on the back.

I work as a journalist and am a beauty blogger too, and yes, I’m particularly peeved at PR companies requesting to change info, make edits, remove images and yes, I’m most angry when they ask to see a draft.

I will oblige a draft review if it’s an advertorial. But giving me products for “consideration” doesn’t mean they can infringe on my rights and freedom as a writer. What makes you think that you’re gonna blog better than I do on my own blog?

Sometimes I feel really upset because I feel that lotsa these marketers are just looking for a “one-night-stand” and not a “long-term relationship”. Kinda just wanna use and forget (like, approach you when they have a new product launch), instead of wanting to know your style and how they can engage you. Pardon the crass analogy 🙂

Thanks for voicing this out. I might not have been able to word this as nicely!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It’s most valuable as you speak from both sides. I’m glad I’m not being “wilful” because of what I like to stand for. Actually another fellow blogger approached me just yesterday because she was harrassed by a company she wrote a review for. It was not even a sponsored review, but rather based on a personal experience because she purchased a discount coupon. So she blogged her true experience that there was room for improvement and her language and tone were very polite. Yet, the company shot her nasty angry emails demanding that she take down the post. I’m hoping she will stand firm because this is truly bullying!

Oh dear! Yes, I hope she stands firm too! It’s wrong to think that it’s a “top-down” approach, it should be a bi-lateral thing! Time that these people go back to PR school and maybe pick up a book about new media.